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16 July 2008 : Column 488W—continued
Northowram and Shelf
Ovenden
Park
Skircoat
Sowerby Bridge
Town
Warley
Ward boundary changes took effect on 1 December 2003.
Local Government: Standards
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets she plans to set for local authorities for national indicator 154 under local area agreements. [217840]
John Healey: Targets in local area agreements (LAAs) are set by agreement between each local area, led by its local authority, and the Government. LAAs are now in place in all 150 local areas in England. Details on each LAA, including the agreed targets, are available at:
Maps: Databases
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what geo-spatial and geo-demographic data from her Department's Maps on Tap database are used by the Valuation Office Agency. [217850]
John Healey: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 1 July 2008, Official Report, column 789W.
Michael Clark
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2008, Official Report, columns 267-8W, on Michael Clark, when she expects the review by West Yorkshire MAPPA to be published. [219791]
Mr. Dhanda: The West Yorkshire MAPPA strategic management board is meeting on 18 July to consider the report prepared by its review panel into the murder committed by Michael Clark. The strategic management board will consider whether it is satisfied with the report or whether further work needs to be undertaken. The strategic management board will consider any recommendations and what actions, if any, need to be taken. It is for the strategic management board to determine whether or not to publish the report.
Non-domestic Rates: Valuation
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to her Department was of providing business rate revaluation transitional relief in each year from 2000 to 2005. [217661]
John Healey: There was no cost to the Department. The 2000 to 2005 transitional relief scheme was, and continues to be, designed so that it is financed from other business rate payers, so that the gross income remained the same overall.
Parish Councils
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria parish councils must meet to achieve Quality Parish status. [217805]
John Healey: The criteria are set out in the revised Guide to becoming a Quality Council, which was published by the National Association of Local Councils in June 2008.
Planning
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 14 May 2008, Official Report, column 1636W, on planning, whether the national policy statement on waste will cover planning policy relating to (a) landfill sites, (b) incinerators and (c) civic amenity sites. [217955]
John Healey: National policy statements will only deal with the types of infrastructure set out in clause 14(1) of the Planning Bill. We are still considering the particular detail of each national policy statement, and will make further announcements in due course.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham of 14 May 2008, Official Report, column 1636W, on planning, whether the national policy statement on waste will be technology-specific. [217956]
John Healey: We are still considering the particular detail of each national policy statement, and will make further announcements in due course.
Property: Photographs
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 June 2007, Official Report, columns 177-78W, on property: photographs, if she will provide the information given in the answer as at June 2008. [217821]
John Healey: For England, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 7 July 2008, Official Report, column 1363W. Council tax in Wales is a devolved matter.
A breakdown by local authority could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Regional Planning and Development: Eco-towns
Mr. Pickles:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2008, Official Report, column 47W,
on regional planning and development: eco towns, whether the Regional Spatial Strategy partial reviews will be (a) commenced or (b) finished by 2011. [217822]
Caroline Flint: In the Housing Green Paper we said we would initiate partial reviews of Regional Spatial Strategies where necessary to ensure provision for 240,000 net additions per annum by 2016. Given changes in the housing market over the last year the Government have decided that we will work with regional partners on a flexible basis to agree the work programme and timetable with each Regional Assembly. This will take account of regional priorities and demands, including longer term housing needs, proposals for eco towns and new growth points, and the need to manage the transition to the proposed Single Regional Strategy.
Travelling People: Council Tax
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria are applied by the Valuation Office Agency to determine whether a Traveller caravan should be rated for council tax purposes. [217803]
John Healey: Criteria applied are, that a pitch must be occupied (i) by a caravan that is a sole or main residence of an individual and (ii) in such a way, and with sufficient permanence, as to qualify as a hereditament, or part of a hereditament.
Valuation Office: Maps
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1600-01W, whether the Valuation Office Agency holds hard copy or electronic maps of each locality. [217963]
John Healey: The current delineation of each locality in England is held in electronic format.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Disabled
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to assist schools with disabled pupils. [207424]
Kevin Brennan: In June 2006, we published the training resource “Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings” and made it available to all schools and local authorities. This was prepared with the Disability Rights Commission, and provides schools and LAs with practical tools to improve their effectiveness. It helps them to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, and to review and revise their accessibility plans. These show how schools will increase access for disabled pupils to school premises and facilities, to the curriculum, and to information in alternative formats. A series of regional conferences was organised to publicise and disseminate the resource.
In 2007, we published additional guidance to support schools in implementing the disability equality duty and developing their disability equality scheme. This guidance is published as part of the same resource. It was also disseminated through a series of regional conferences.
We have also assisted schools to address bullying against disabled children and those with special educational needs by publishing “Bullying Involving Children with Special Educational Needs and Disability”, on 15 May 2008.
Children: Disadvantaged
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what estimate he has made of the number of children entitled to but not taking up free school meals; [219226]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of children living in poverty who are not claiming free school meals. [219227]
Kevin Brennan: The requested information is not available.
We do not collect information on the number of pupils who may be eligible for free school meals but do not register as eligible.
Children: Poverty
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were in poverty in (a) Leeds West, (b) Leeds Metropolitan District and (c) the UK in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007; and if he will make a statement. [215403]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
The available information, published in the Households Below Average Income series, is that there were 3.4 million children living in households in Great Britain with below 60 per cent. of median contemporary income before housing costs in 1997/98; and there were 2.9 million such children in the United Kingdom in 2006/07. The Households Below Average Income series cannot provide information below the level of Government office region.
Work is currently under way to develop an indicator of child poverty at the local level that will measure the proportion of children in families living in poverty in both out of work and in work families. It is intended that this indicator will be used as the local area agreement child poverty indicator from April 2009 onwards.
Departmental Co-ordination: Dept for Innovation Universities and Skills
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he last met the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills to discuss co-ordination of policy between the two Departments. [217052]
Kevin Brennan: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues on issues of mutual interest.
Departmental Co-ordination: Ministry of Justice
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he last met the Secretary of State for Justice to discuss co-ordination of policy between their two Departments. [217051]
Kevin Brennan: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues on issues of mutual interest.
Departmental Pay
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much the directors in his Department have been paid in bonuses in the last 12 months; [219286]
(2) how much has been paid in bonuses to senior civil servants in his Department since its establishment. [219565]
Kevin Brennan: The Department was created on 28 June 2007. The breakdown of bonuses for the senior civil service for the 2007-08 financial year is set out in the following table:
| £ | ||
| Number of bonus awards made to senior civil servants in DCSF | Total cost of the bonuses awarded | |
Departmental Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years. [218962]
Kevin Brennan: Since the Department was formed in the 28 June 2007 Machinery of Government changes, 67 staff have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days. This applies from the date of establishment of the Department to 31 March 2008 (the latest information available).
Fish
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much fish was procured by his Department and at what cost in each of the last five years, broken down by species; and what amount and value of such fish met the Marine Stewardship Council standard in each such year, broken down by species. [217897]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families catering service is contracted out and the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Home Information Packs
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many home information packs have been commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies to market a residential property; for which properties; at what cost; and whether a voluntary home condition report was purchased as part of the packs. [219015]
Kevin Brennan: The requirement to prepare Home Information Packs applies to the marketing for sale of residential properties. This Department has not been involved in any such transactions since 1 August 2007.
Parents: Alcoholism
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of children living with an alcoholic parent in each of the last 10 years. [218433]
Beverley Hughes: The Government do not annually record the number of young people affected by parental alcohol misuse. However the Interim Analytical report produced for the 2004 report ‘Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England’ by the Prime Ministers Strategy Unit estimates that between 780,000 and 1.3 million children are affected by parental alcohol problems.
The Government recognise that parental alcohol misuse is a serious problem in the family and has negative effects on a child's life chances. This is why my Department is investing in targeted services for those families at risk that will help to reduce the risk of dependency on alcohol and break the cycle of problems being transferred between generations. The drugs strategy ‘Drugs: Protecting Families and Communities’, published in February 2008, introduced families as a key priority and highlighted the need for support to prevent future problems for children. This proposed a programme of intensive support services to reach the most chaotic families through the Family Interventions project; and Family Pathfinders to develop local systems and services that improve outcomes for families at risk. We are committed to further evaluating a number of programmes to better gauge their impact on reducing alcohol problems.
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